Far and Away (Main Theme)

SKU: HL.4493043

UPC: 196288156468.

Unleash the force of musical mastery with Robert Longfield's captivating string orchestra arrangement of the â??Star Wars Main Titleâ? by John Williams. Immerse your ensemble in the iconic galaxy far, far away as the strings bring to life the timeless adventure and heroic spirit of Star Wars. Longfield's arrangement skillfully preserves the epic grandeur of Williams' original, making it a must-have for orchestras seeking to ignite the imaginations of audiences young and old. May the music be with you as you embark on this intergalactic musical journey!

SKU: CF.YPS217

ISBN 9781491156544. UPC: 680160915088. 9 x 12 inches.

Hope Remains Within was commissioned by and composed for the Mount Nittany Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Concert Bands. Having heard the students of Mount Nittany perform another work of mine, I was very excited when their director, Johanna Steinbacher, approached me about writing a piece specifically for them. I knew right away that I wanted to write something that would tie in with their non-music curriculum in some way, but I wasn't exactly sure how, or what. Johanna talked to some of her students and learned that, in 7th grade, the students spend a good deal of time studying mythology in their English class. In particular, two clarinet students mentioned how much they enjoyed the story of Pandora. As such, I decided to use that story as the basis of this composition. Hope Remains Within doesn't attempt to re-tell the story, event by event, in musical terms. Instead, my goal was to address what seems to be one of the central issues of the Pandora myth. Though there are some variations, we probably all know the basics as told by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod. Zeus decides to punish Prometheus for stealing fire from heaven and giving it to humans. He and the other gods create Pandora, a beautiful and deceitful woman, and they give her to Prometheus's brother Epimetheus as a bride. Pandora is herself given a jar (according to many sources, jar seems to be a more accurate translation for what we commonly call Pandora's box) which contained numerous evils, diseases, and other pains. Out of curiosity, Pandora opens the jar and releases all of these evils into the world. But one thing remains in the jar: hope. The issue of hope seems to be one of the big interpretive questions of the Pandora myth. Why does hope remain within the jar? Why doesn't it come out of the jar to help humanity? Is hope being held on a pedestal of some sort? Is hope deliberately withheld from humanity? Why was hope in the jar with all those evils in the first place? I'm not enough of a mythological scholar to claim to have definitive answers to those questions, but these are the questions that I've tried to engage from a musical perspective in Hope Remains Within. I encourage the students and listeners to consider their own ideas of what hope is, and where you can find your own hope when needed. Musically, Hope Remains Within draws one of its main themes from the Prometheus Symphony by Alexander Skryabin (Scriabin). The note sequence F-D-Gb -F, heard near Hope's beginning played by alto saxophones and chimes, comes from the opening measures of Skyrabin's work. Given the important role that Prometheus plays in the Pandora myth, this seemed like an appropriate musical gesture to quote. This Prometheus motive is varied throughout the course of the piece, and even provides closure at the end, recast in a major key. Additionally, I have tried to involve a manageable amount of chromaticism in this piece. I have worked from the key of Bb major, no doubt familiar to every student who has ever played an instrument in a band. But I have added three extra notes: Db, Gb, and Ab, which are drawn from the key of Bb minor. During the piece's slow opening, I have allowed these minor key pitches to mingle freely within the Bb major tonality, adding extra color and (I hope!) beauty. As the piece progresses, though, the tempo increases, and we lose sense of the Bb major key entirely, and these extra notes play a more important role. But finally, Bb major returns triumphantly and all the extra notes are gone, except for a brief memory near the very end. (Ok, there are a couple of E-naturals that sneak in there along the way. I couldn't resist.).
Hope Remains Within was commissioned by and composed for the Mount Nittany Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Concert Bands. Having heard the students of Mount Nittany perform another work of mine, I was very excited when their director, Johanna Steinbacher, approached me about writing a piece specifically for them. I knew right away that I wanted to write something that would tie in with their non-music curriculum in some way, but I wasn’t exactly sure how, or what. Johanna talked to some of her students and learned that, in 7th grade, the students spend a good deal of time studying mythology in their English class. In particular, two clarinet students mentioned how much they enjoyed the story of Pandora.As such, I decided to use that story as the basis of this composition. Hope Remains Within doesn’t attempt to re-tell the story, event by event, in musical terms. Instead, my goal was to address what seems to be one of the central issues of the Pandora myth. Though there are some variations, we probably all know the basics as told by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod. Zeus decides to punish Prometheus for stealing fire from heaven and giving it to humans. He and the other gods create Pandora, a beautiful and deceitful woman, and they give her to Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus as a bride. Pandora is herself given a jar (according to many sources, “jar” seems to be a more accurate translation for what we commonly call “Pandora’s box”) which contained numerous evils, diseases, and other pains. Out of curiosity, Pandora opens the jar and releases all of these evils into the world. But one thing remains in the jar: hope.The issue of hope seems to be one of the big interpretive questions of the Pandora myth. Why does hope remain within the jar? Why doesn’t it come out of the jar to help humanity? Is hope being held on a pedestal of some sort? Is hope deliberately withheld from humanity? Why was hope in the jar with all those evils in the first place?I’m not enough of a mythological scholar to claim to have definitive answers to those questions, but these are the questions that I’ve tried to engage from a musical perspective in Hope Remains Within. I encourage the students and listeners to consider their own ideas of what hope is, and where you can find your own hope when needed.Musically, Hope Remains Within draws one of its main themes from the Prometheus Symphony by Alexander Skryabin (Scriabin). The note sequence F-D-Gb -F, heard near Hope’s beginning played by alto saxophones and chimes, comes from the opening measures of Skyrabin’s work. Given the important role that Prometheus plays in the Pandora myth, this seemed like an appropriate musical gesture to quote. This Prometheus motive is varied throughout the course of the piece, and even provides closure at the end, recast in a major key.Additionally, I have tried to involve a manageable amount of chromaticism in this piece. I have worked from the key of Bb major, no doubt familiar to every student who has ever played an instrument in a band. But I have added three extra notes: Db, Gb, and Ab, which are drawn from the key of Bb minor. During the piece’s slow opening, I have allowed these minor key pitches to mingle freely within the Bb major tonality, adding extra color and (I hope!) beauty. As the piece progresses, though, the tempo increases, and we lose sense of the Bb major key entirely, and these extra notes play a more important role. But finally, Bb major returns triumphantly and all the extra notes are gone, except for a brief memory near the very end. (Ok, there are a couple of E-naturals that sneak in there along the way. I couldn’t resist.).

SKU: CF.CM9715

ISBN 9781491160947. UPC: 680160919543. Key: F major. Original.

Darkness Fades Away is written as an accessible song for young voices that speaks to our hopes for a kinder and more empathetic world. The melody utilizes a subtle meter change from 2 /4 to 3/4 in order to emphasize the second beat and allow it space to grow into the next note. When the optional counter-melody is introduced, the rhythm relies on an off-beat pattern, but be sure not to accent those notes. Both melody and counter-melody are meant to flow gently with a little movement throughout. Note the repeated use of a 7th (low sol to fa) to introduce the main motif. The ending section grows to its climax (m. 80-82) with optional notes for higher voices that feel comfortable in that range. After the voices echo and repeat the main theme, the rallentando and subsequent caesura (m. 104-106) allow for some freedom in direction until the piano reinforces the original tempo before itself fading away.
Darkness Fades Away is written as an accessible song for young voices that speaks to our hopes for a kinder and more empathetic world. The melody utilizes a subtle meter change from 2 /4 to 3/4 in order to emphasize the second beat and allow it space to grow into the next note. When the optional counter-melody is introduced, the rhythm relies on an off-beat pattern, but be sure not to accent those notes. Both melody and counter-melody are meant to flow gently with a little movement throughout. Note the repeated use of a 7th (low sol to fa) to introduce the main motif.The ending section grows to its climax (m. 80-82) with optional notes for higher voices that feel comfortable in that range. After the voices echo and repeat the main theme, the rallentando and subsequent caesura (m. 104-106) allow for some freedom in direction until the piano reinforces the original tempo before itself fading away.

SKU: HL.298905

ISBN 9781540059901. UPC: 888680955274. 9.0x12.0x0.556 inches.

This updated second edition features 100 songs from the silver screen in larger-than-usual fake book notation and all in the key of C. Songs include: Born Free • Chariots of Fire • City of Stars (from La La Land) • Endless Love • Footloose • Ghostbusters • Happy (from Despicable Me 2) • I Will Always Love You (from The Bodyguard) • Theme from Jaws • Let It Go (from Frozen) • A Million Dreams (from The Greatest Showman) • My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from Titanic) • Nine to Five • Over the Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz) • Shallow (from A Star Is Born) • Singin' in the Rain • Summer Nights (from Grease) • (I've Had) The Time of My Life (from Dirty Dancing) • The Wind Beneath My Wings (from Beaches) • Yellow Submarine • and more.

SKU: YM.GTP01100930

ISBN 9784636106657.

The definitive selection of the 30 hottest songs that were big hits in 2022. Includes J-POP hits and the theme songs for Japanese TV dramas and Animes. Enjoy it to the fullest!